[From here.]

Well, that had been painless, but the good time he'd made also meant that he was the first to arrive. Harvey leaned himself up against the wall, swinging his metal pipe around in his hand as he kept an eye out for Scott or Sangamon.

He had to admit, it was strange that their group had been cut down so considerably. He didn't even know if Depth Charge was still around, but it didn't matter to him too much either way, so he hadn't put much thought into it. He figured that one of the others would mention it when they showed up, if they even knew themselves.

While he waited, Harvey grabbed the bone bracelet out of his pocket and started to spin it around in his hand. The skeleton hadn't been too clear about how this worked, but there was an obvious answer about what to do with it, not that he was going to attempt anything until the others had shown up.

[From here.]

Still no one. Harvey imagined that before long these areas were going to be flooded with sick people who were going to follow that clue, so he was glad that he'd beaten them to the punch. It wasn't that he thought it was contagious anymore -- by this point, they would have known -- but he didn't need to be surrounded by a bunch of miserable, sniffling people, either.

Relieved that he'd dodged that bullet, at least so far, Harvey reached the end of the hall and took a right toward their regular meeting spot.

[To here.]

[From here.]

Along with his weapons and supplies, Harvey also had two other very important things with him, and he checked his pockets for them as he moved down the halls. First was his coin, which he wasn't surprised to find was there, as he couldn't think of a time when he'd let it be removed from his person. Second was the bracelet that the talking skeleton extraordinaire had given them. Forgetting the whole morbid quality of it, Harvey had to wonder if it could really be trusted.

On the other hand, Sangamon had made use of that ring and it had never come around to bite him, so maybe it was fine. Maybe every once in a while, this place actually made their lives easier rather than more difficult.

With the hall completely empty, Harvey didn't have to waste any time moving down it toward the meeting spot.

[To here.]

Murphy wasn't able to control his knee jerk reaction to the static, gripping his desk chair as the lights went out and bracing for an attack he quickly realized wasn't about to come. And the Big Doc's voice carried on, bringing back unpleasant memories for the ex-con. He frowned, uncomfortable, not sure what to think or how to take the message....

He knew all too well what it was to turn into a monster.

When the computer system fell to some sort of electronic epileptic fit, Murphy just shook his head. Flashlight in one hand and chair in the other, he headed out into the hallway. He'd trust Harvey's assertion that there were plenty of directions to go, and trust his own luck he'd find one. There wasn't much else that he could do.

And maybe he'd find someone who needed help. He'd managed to keep Nina safe last night. That was more than he'd ever managed in Silent Hill. That was a good sign, wasn't it? And against all odds he was alive, and as long as he was alive he had the power to change his own fate.

Or so he kept telling himself as he ventured out into the far-more-active darkness of the institute.

When the cheery jingle sounded over the speakers, the Head Doctor could be heard humming a song that suspiciously sounded like pieces of "Superstar" from today's movie. Then, as if realizing people were listening, he abruptly cleared his throat.

"Good evening, patients!" he greeted after a quick recovery. "I do hope everyone had a pleasant day. And what better way to end things than with a scrumptious steak dinner? We'll be including fries on the side, as well as offering our usual assortment of water, milk, and juices. Of course, we also carry vegetarian options for those of you who don't eat meat. Enjoy!"

The intercom turned off, leaving the nurses to escort patients to their rooms.

((Please make all dinner threads under this post with your character's room number in the subject line. For updated roommate assignments, refer to the latest Lounge Post. Thanks!))

Guy had to admit that as hard as it had been for him to follow some of the things that had gone on during Jesus Christ Superstar, it had been more enjoyable than The Great Escape. One reason was because of the music, which had given it a more lighthearted feeling despite the heavier subject matter that had been taking place. The other thing was that it hadn't mirrored their own efforts as closely as The Great Escape, so even though it had ended with a death, it hadn't been quite as depressing.

Of course, the whole issue of betrayal was something that he understood very well, so in some ways he had felt for Judas. Granted, Guy had never sold anyone out in the same way, but he couldn't let himself forget his past transgressions so easily, even if most of it had never progressed past carefully laid plans.

Still, he left the Sun Room in a decent mood, though he couldn't quite forget the fact that Anise was ill. The good news was that night would be coming soon -- he, Claude, and Anise could meet up, discuss her situation, and try to form a plan for how to deal with it.

For now, he still had one more shift to get through before dinner, and given the option, the obvious choice was the Game Room. Guy was thrilled when he stepped inside and realized that not only was he the first person there, but there were some devices connected to larger screens to play on. He had never had the chance to check it out for himself, and so he approached without any delay.

[Free!]

Well, that went well! Anise had gained herself a gorgeously handsome new friend. She just hoped that weird illness didn't get either of them killed before she could get to know him any better.

... Yeah, that was morbid. It was hard not to think about, though.

Before going to the Cafeteria, Anise made a stop at her room to grab her journal, maps, and a pen. Once she finished eating, she could get a start on copying the maps for Barnaby. He was going to be so glad he met her!

With that done, Anise made her way to the Cafeteria, where she picked up an assortment of food, making sure to get some meat, vegetables, and milk on her tray. She then sat down at a table and set her notes aside while she started on her meal. It was hard not to feel self-conscious about the rash on her arm, though the makeup she used had blended the discolored part enough that it couldn't be seen from a distance. Anise just hoped no one would come specifically looking for it.

[Ilia!]

This time, when Rita awakened, the drowsiness and disorientation cleared much faster than it had during the night. Being in a familiar room with traces of light helped with that. Instinctively, she tried to pull herself up, but the motion sent a piercing pain through her chest.

"Oh, Paige, let me help you!" a nurse cried from the doorway as she rushed to Rita's side. For once, Rita wasn't about to put up a fight, though she grumbled a bit as she was eased upright and to her feet. Her right arm was in a cast, which was kept immobilized in a sling. Wherever skin was visible, bruising could be found, and a particularly deep shade of blackish-blue could be seen peeking out from the edge of her shirt collar.

As they began to walk to the Sun Room, the nurse continued talking. "I hope you're not too disappointed at missing the field trip. But I have good news for you! The doctors say you'll be good as new in no time, so long as you take care and don't aggravate your injuries." The woman went on to list a number of activities the mage should avoid or ask for help with, as though Rita couldn't figure those things out for herself. Finally, they reached their destination and Rita was left in peace.

First things first: the bulletin. Since it was early in the day, there weren't many messages from patients yet. That was fine; it would mean her own message would be more visible. First, she needed to notify Taura of her situation, and then there were a few magic-related topics she wanted to inquire about...

Rita picked up a pen and a slip of paper, bent over one of the tables near the bulletin, and began to write... but the letters came out jerky and illegible.

"Dammit," she hissed, scrapping the paper and beginning again. Using only her non-dominant hand was more difficult than she imagined. This time, she wrote very slowly, taking care to write each stroke of each letter neatly. The result was still awkward-looking, but at least it was a readable start. She just needed to be patient... though that was a virtue Rita certainly lacked.

[Taura!]

[from here]

The door was locked, but just with a latch; the credit card they'd issued her for the trip was worth far more sliding down the thin space between jamb and door than it had been earlier. The latch clicked, and the door swung open with a loud creak.

Lana held the door open, gesturing for everyone to come in. In her other hand she'd grabbed one of the waiting-line chairs and was holding it, ready to jam it under the doorknob. As long as they were all inside before the zombies arrived, they'd be fine.

That was, of course, assuming the office was empty.

[From here.]

Indeed, it wasn't long before things began looking quite familiar to Zero. He knew (somewhat) where they were now based on his explorations of this area during the day... Wasn't the police station somewhere down this street, too? He could swear it was... But surely, Lana (and probably Dent as well) knew better than him. The once-Reploid continued to walk carefully, sticking close to his companions.

Unfortunately, it also wasn't long before the group's well-being was threatened once again.

An unusual moaning sound was the first thing that caught Zero's attention, followed by shuffling noises. To the right of them. He paused a moment to look, searching for the source of those noises. Just as Dent had warned them - there, in the shadows. Two...no, three shifting forms, decaying, only vaguely looking human. Zombies. But only three? Or were there others around who were simply out of sight? It was hard to tell.

Even if there weren't any others around, three zombies were still too many for the group to handle without weapons. This much was obvious. Zero quickly glanced back toward his companions, quietly asking them through subtle expression what they should do. If they started running now...he couldn't be the one to lead, not knowing exactly where they were going. And he was not about to run off without anyone.

[from here]

The street along the park was still quiet. Fast food wrappers and receipts littered the ground where the buses had pulled up; the nurses had tried to keep things clean, but the wind had been brutal, and things had flown everywhere. She stooped and reached for a bag to throw it in the trash can, and then froze. Paper crinkled, and she dropped it as quickly as she'd grabbed for it. Rookie mistakes, hmm? You are nervous.

Fear was burning through the fog that the illness had caused, though, and she could only be grateful for that. She nodded her head at the turn-off to the main drag through town, and looked for zombies. None had come at the noise, but that could just mean they were more intelligent than movies might suggest.

[Zombie attack as soon as they turn onto Main Street, Zero can move them?]

[from here]

They were passing houses, now, and it was time to stop running. There wasn't anywhere completely out of sight of any of the houses -- the best they could do was a tall hedge separating two driveways. Lana stepped off the road and into its shadow. She was panting, and she rested her head in her hands for a moment while everyone else collected nearby.

"We should decide where we're going now. We don't want to attract any more attention downtown than we have to." She took a deep breath, and her head swam. Focus, Skye. "I'd like to take a look at the records at the police station," she whispered, and waited to see if there was any objection.

[From here.]

But being outside was probably just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than it was being trapped inside the bus with that nurse.

Besides the many other deformed nurses that were roaming around here, Zero caught sight of numerous forms flying overhead, casting large shadows on the ground as they passed by. They looked like...eagles. But deformed and horrific-looking, just like the nurses. At first, they seemed content to simply circle overhead, screeching, like vultures swarming above a carcass. But then many of them suddenly swooped down and headed straight for some of the prisoners running in the street.

Kind of like the one flying at Zero right now.

"Kh--!" The once-Reploid barely managed to dodge the monster as it dived for him by falling to the ground and rolling back onto his feet. The bird flew upwards again, slowly flapping its wings, then circled around as if to try again, another eagle joining it. To avoid them, Zero quickly moved out of the open, where he was obviously a target, and circled around one of the buses, keeping his back to it for cover. But he knew he wasn't going to be safe here...not when there were nurses on the ground and so many eagles above.

Not since the night he had become temporarily stronger had there been so much visible chaos... And if that one prisoner hadn't started a riot, this wouldn't be happening right now...!

As he stood contemplating the best route for escape, Zero glanced around quickly, searching the fleeing prisoners for anyone familiar or anyone who might need help. He was defenseless, so protecting someone else would only get him so far (and he certainly didn't want a repeat of two nights ago), but they all might have a better chance of survival if they grouped up...

[Leanne, Lana, and Harvey, WHERE YOU AT.]

Kotetsu was permanently twisted around in his seat as he stared out the emergency exit at the bus behind them. Out of nowhere, it had veered right into a tree and dented the side of the bus, leaving the other buses no choice but to pull off to the side of the road and assist in anyway they could. It was hard to tell whether anyone had been hurt, but thankfully every bus was equipped with nurses so Kotetsu hoped any damage inflicted on the patients could be treated immediately.

Either way, the bus apparently couldn't start up again and that left them all little choice but to wait. With little to see and no signs of emergency care or an ambulance, Kotetsu started to get antsy in his seat.

Some of the other patients seemed just as restless as he, but in a much more dramatic fashion. Some stared out the windows with restlessness, with anxiety, and even grim resignation. It seemed like an odd mix of emotions to him, but if they had problems with hallucinations and schizophrenia, the night wouldn't be a very fun time for them.

Soon, though, the sun set, the rays fading with it, and then all hell broke loose. Kotetsu should have read the signs, seen how some of the adults and children on the bus clawed at their seats like they were on fire. When the nurses fell to the floor, Kotetsu instinctively jumped up to assist, but what he saw had him frozen in place. They were literally changing into ghouls and panic quickly overtook the entire bus.

The former Hero was grateful the nurses--Now monstrous villains--hadn't confiscated his new, crappy mask along with his alcohol as he dug it out of his jacket and cinched it to his face. He turned to his partner, but neither Hero needed words. They simply understood and Kotetsu immediately broke open the emergency hatch behind them with experienced ease, while Barnaby tried to corral the masses to the back of the bus. The alarm sounded but it really couldn't be heard over the raucous surrounding them all.

After finishing up his purchase and parting ways with Klavier, Harvey quickly realized that the wind was even worse now than it had been earlier in the day. The nurses even seemed hurried by it this time, probably because they were trying to make sure that every last patient was rounded up. The thought had never occurred to him, but had anyone ever tried to stay behind by hiding somewhere? Would that actually work? And would it be of any benefit? In the end, it would just get you stuck in a town filled with hungry zombies, so... maybe that was why he'd never heard of someone trying it before.

He headed back to the bus at a quick pace, his batteries in one hand and the other shielding his face from the wind as much as possible. While going back to that institute was depressing for any number of reasons, the thought of being able to sit in that warm bus, protected from the wind, didn't seem so bad.

The headlights made it easy to find the vehicles and Harvey let the nurses search him before quickly jumping on. So, his trip had earned him beer and batteries. What else could a guy really ask for? Except for maybe some more ammo for his gun, but he knew that was a pipe dream. Breaking into the sheriff's office during the day was probably impossible, and it would just land him into a world of trouble he he didn't want to deal with.

Harvey settled back into a seat, his gaze fixing on the sky as he watched the sun dip further and further down. He was hoping they made it back to the institute without any trouble this time. The last trip had been fine, but he wouldn't be surprised if Landel made a point to switch it up just to mess with them.

[For Allelujah.]

Having the chance to share a meal with Claude and just relax in a setting that was more interesting than that cafeteria back at the institute had been refreshing. Guy couldn't shake his worries about Claude, but he tried to push it from his mind, knowing that his friend would speak up if there was anything serious going on.

After their meal they parted ways to do some last minute shopping, although Guy was reluctant to leave the Twin Pines with the way that the wind was only increasing in strength. Still, he didn't want to be holed up there for the rest of the day, and so he endured it, heading across town as quick as he could for the electronics store.

While he had been thinking earlier about how he'd been there so many times already and wanted to see something new, Guy had a practical reason for returning, which was to stock up on fresh batteries. The last thing he wanted was for his flashlight to go out when he and his friends were in the middle of exploring those caverns, after all.

He took a moment to arrange his hair and clothing after escaping from the wind, and then went about searching the store. While he knew where the batteries were by now, he couldn't stop himself from getting distracted from the various gadgets as he made his way to that particular shelf. There was nothing wrong with that, was there?

[For Leanne.]

... Yes. That shopping trip had gone splendidly.

After browsing through the hardware store for quite some time, Zero had managed to find a small first aid kit - something he had no clue how to use, but he knew it could be useful if someone taught him about it . And of course. The moment he stepped out of the store with it, his obnoxious nurse was there waiting for him, and she snatched it away as if it could kill him if he held on to it any longer. Then she spent a good five minutes 'suggesting' he should spend his money on things that could probably not kill him if he held on to them, useless things like candy and toys. Would he get that kit back later? Possibly, she said, if he was a 'model patient' today.

In other words, he had most likely wasted his time and money. Sigh.

In order to avoid getting more irritated with the woman than he already was, Zero moved to get away from his nurse as quickly as possible and was right back to where he was before: wandering the streets of the town with no purpose other than to look for Aigis and to get a feel of Doyleton's layout. The latter was only important in case he ever managed to return here at night, as he had heard was possible. Otherwise, it was really just a way to kill time. And now, if something in a store caught his eye as potentially useful, he would likely be unable to buy it as he only had ten dollars of his allowance left. ('Dollars'. What a strange name for currency.) The first aid kit had been fifteen dollars, and that seemed to be somewhat cheap as far as price went for some things around here. His nurse would probably confiscate whatever else he found, anyway...

As he considered whether it would be worth it to shop some more or forget about it, the smell of something cooking drew him towards a restaurant called the Twin Pines and reminded him that he hadn't eaten in awhile. Zero had never been quite so affected by the smell of food until now...there was something different about this smell than the one in the Institute at meal times. Something stronger, something that made his stomach growl and demand some substance in it. Guess he could forget about shopping for a little while now. He wondered about the possible price of eating here, but then he remembered the book of coupons his nurse had given him at the beginning of the trip...one of them had been for this place, hadn't it? He dug it out of his pocket to look and his thought was confirmed. Yes, one coupon said he could eat here without having to spend any dollars. Good.

But what about his meeting with Aigis? Zero continued to stand outside of the restaurant and looked around. Blond hair and blue eyes were still nowhere to be found, and it was getting later. He was hungry...but the meeting with Aigis was more important than food. (Unless they could do both at the same time. But that would require actually finding Aigis first.) Where was he...? Or she?

[Aigis!]

After speaking with both Kratos and Tsubaki, Sora realized that he needed to try and handle this whole sickness thing sooner rather than later. Because there was no way it was just him. Even if he hadn't run into anyone else yet, there had to be some other patients who were suffering in the same way. Thus far he'd been content to just stay outside because the cool air felt good on his flushed face, but in the end he forced himself into the grocery store and over to the bulletin board.

He left two messages: one for the patients at large to try and get a discussion going on what to do about this new problem, and another one for the Arts and Crafts club. Sora hoped that would at least put them on the right path, and he had to admit he felt better after writing those notes.

There wasn't much for him to do in the grocery store when he didn't have an appetite, and so the boy left and stepped outside as soon as he was done. He was going to have to check back throughout the day, but he figured it was going to take the others a while to notice.

Which left him with the same question: where did he go, what did he do? It was hard to think straight when he felt so lousy, but he also had twenty-five dollars burning a hole in his pocket. What would be worth buying even when he was sick? He could get medicine, maybe, but why waste his money on that when the nurses would give it to him when they got back to the institute? This was harder to figure out than it should have been...

[For Snow.]

A few bucks got him the local rag, which was everything a small-town newspaper dreamed of being, and a bottle of something that claimed to be fair-trade coffee. S.T. wasn't sure it had any caffeine in it. It was sweeter than donut-shop coffee after you accidentally lost half a cinnamon bun in it while dipping, though, so he was working on something resembling a buzz.

Which got sucker-punched off the porch and under a buses wheels by the bulletin board. Peter and some girl hadn't just disappeared, they'd been killed. And Peter's stuff had been handed out, so he wasn't going to be coming back.

Didn't mean they shouldn't keep trying. If Peter'd gotten himself killed because they were getting too close to the truth, that went double. S.T. didn't have a death wish, but people had tried to kill him before. New baseline for his life, maybe. Adrenaline as default. He was going to need more coffee.

[free]

Searching for files really wasn't the most exciting way to spend a night, but at least he had Sangamon had managed something and had also somehow avoided getting into any real trouble. While the lack of some sort of conflict meant that it had almost felt boring in comparison, Harvey was pretty sure he could go without seeing one of those rotted faces for the rest of his life.

Yeah, the memory of one of those dogs tearing through Zex's throat hadn't quite left his mind yet. It probably wasn't going to anytime soon, either.

It was clear that Landel was trying to stir up shit among the patients, though, with how he was going on about this so-called sickness. It was obvious from the start that this was something that had been administered to certain patients, but that didn't mean it wouldn't spread. But Harvey's guess was that it wouldn't. This whole charade had clearly been designed to force a wedge between the patients, and he was pretty sure it was going to work.

Other than the fact that he'd slept all day yesterday, though, Harvey felt fine. As fine as someone with half his face burned off could feel, anyway. But the point was that he felt normal for him, which probably meant he'd been lucky enough to steer clear of this weird illness. The coin had apparently landed on the clean side this time.

Sleeping a whole day away meant that it was already time to head into Doyleton yet again. Harvey couldn't say he was that excited. The town hadn't given him much to do, and while a change of scenery was probably good for his mental health, the way the townspeople treated them more or less canceled that out. Still, there was nothing for it, so he didn't put up a fuss as he changed into his clothes for the day. This time he had a pair of black pants, a shirt that was a little too close to purple for his liking, and a gray-colored zip-up windbreaker to wear over it.

As usual, there was the sack lunch and coupons to collect (did they really have to be treated like grade-schoolers?), but it looked like the allowance was going to be a staple from now on. Harvey stepped up onto one of the buses with a sigh, but it looked like he'd picked the one that was emptiest (so far, anyway). Focusing on that silver lining, he went to sit down in the back and started to peel open the brown bag with his breakfast in it.

[For Shiina!]